Slow Play

Follow Thread

By Rick D

  • 20 Likes
  • 71 Replies
  1. Rick D

    Rick D
    Weston, WI

    Got stuck paired with another member's 17 year old kid in our club championship this past weekend. With an odd number of players, our GM came on as a marker. After #6 we were two holes behind. I finally had enough of the kid's DeChambeau routine on #8. I putted out of turn and walked to the par 3 ninth, where I teed off while the kid was still going through his routine back on 8 green. Putted out of turn on #9 and walked to the clubhouse. The GM quit playing, couldn't take it anymore.

    The Pro had been watching and had a talk with the kid about keeping up. He was better after that, but with one less golfer in our group and the group ahead in trouble we caught up. The kid had the gall then to complain about being told to play faster and then we're waiting. Some will say my actions were rude, but I almost quit myself after nine. Others applauded me for doing what I did.

    The kids' obviously been taught wrongly by his old man, who is one of the few members I will not play with because he's slower than molasses and "bends" the rules. The kids watch the pros on TV and think it's OK to play every shot as if it's to win the US Open.

    The kid actually played a lot better after he speeded up. I wonder if he realized that?

  2. Tyler H

    Tyler H
    Appleton, WI

    Slow play makes for a long day in more ways than one. Being that it was your club championship, one would think that the expectation would be set that slow play was not acceptable. Part of the blame probably falls on the professional golf staff not monitoring the pace of play during the event and their possible not wanting to ruffle any feathers by telling someone they are behind and need to pick up the pace.

    We had our club championship this past weekend and easily played in under 4 hours. I can understand a stroke play event staking a bit longer as you need to hole everything out.

    One would think that the kid would have got a clue when you started putting out of turn and heading to the next tee. Unfortunately you are probably correct in that he has learned the behavior of playing slow. The good thing is that he is young and can maybe learn from the round that playing at a good pace is not only respectful to your playing partners, but may lead to better golf as well.

    TH
  3. Rick D

    Rick D
    Weston, WI

    Our pro talked to the kid after the ninth hole, which was a little too late. But he did talk to him, so I give him credit for that.

    Too many courses don't ranger for slow play. Playing in Fort Myers with my brother and his wife, the ranger stopped to take my sister in law to task for parking the cart with two tires off the paved path, while we waited on every shot for the slowpokes ahead of us.

    At St. Andrews we were paired with a couple from the Netherlands. She was 5'11", a former professional hockey player who could hit the ball. Nice lady, but she was a snail. The ranger approached us on the second hole to tell us to speed up. Later he twice stopped to have us let a twosome play through. Over beers in the clubhouse they told us they had a tee time for the morning, getting picked on the ballot for the Old Course. He didn't want to play, since he had pre-paid fees on Kingsbarnes. She wanted to and asked me if I wanted to join her. He didn't seem to happy at that and I quickly declined, but in reality I didn't want my Old Course experience ruined by playing with her!!!

  4. Todd T

    Todd T
    San Diego, CA

    Military
    Too many folks watching DeShamboo and good on Brooks for calling him out. I think its upon to tell our playing partners they are holding up play and its affecting others. And if it continues, be polite and pull a Sabbatini and go to the next hole!
  5. Mike M

    Mike M
    Marblehead MA

    Sorry you had to go through that Rick.Certainly takes the fun out of it.I agree with Tyler on a couple things; first i think the professional staff should have had a handle on pace of play. Even if someone from the shop drove around as a ranger. Second, holing everything out does take some time, especially if you normally play match play, or pick up after a double or triple, as a courtesy to the players in your group, and the groups behind you.

    To me the crux of the matter lies with the way the father taught the kid the game and etiquette, or in this particular case, the lack of it. Does the kid need a 'dope slap' for being rude and cocky? Absolutely! Especially since he's 17 and played with someone older, showing no respect at all.But the Dad has to shoulder the majority of the blame.The kid probably watched the old man and figured that's how things are done. If it's true that the father tends to bends the rules,the kid might not know any better. That said, it's a disgrace to pass bad etiquette and "rule bending" on to young golfers, let alone your own son.
  6. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military

    Rick D said:

    Got stuck paired with another member's 17 year old kid in our club championship this past weekend. With an odd number of players, our GM came on as a marker. After #6 we were two holes behind. I finally had enough of the kid's DeChambeau routine on #8. I putted out of turn and walked to the par 3 ninth, where I teed off while the kid was still going through his routine back on 8 green. Putted out of turn on #9 and walked to the clubhouse. The GM quit playing, couldn't take it anymore.

    The Pro had been watching and had a talk with the kid about keeping up. He was better after that, but with one less golfer in our group and the group ahead in trouble we caught up. The kid had the gall then to complain about being told to play faster and then we're waiting. Some will say my actions were rude, but I almost quit myself after nine. Others applauded me for doing what I did.

    The kids' obviously been taught wrongly by his old man, who is one of the few members I will not play with because he's slower than molasses and "bends" the rules. The kids watch the pros on TV and think it's OK to play every shot as if it's to win the US Open.

    The kid actually played a lot better after he speeded up. I wonder if he realized that?

    That's how we taught my slow playing brother in law to play and keep up when he started. He had to run to keep up to main pace. It worked and now he complains about slow play. Think the club might talk to his father where the problem initiated. Seems the apple does not fall far from the tree. Think there might be hope for the son.
  7. mlacasse

    mlacasse

    Not rude. Pace of play is part of the game regardless if you are waiting for people in front. He should also be learning when and where to allow folks to play through if needed.
    I agree for me anyway that slower golf raises my score. I am not an over thinker when it comes to addressing a shot, give it a look to plan attack 1 practice swing as needed hit the ball 12 seconds or less.
  8. JAM

    JAM

    All rounds should be played in less than four hours.
  9. Leslie B

    Leslie B

    I Agree.
  10. Jim S

    Jim S
    East Point, GA

    Slow play is hurting golf. People have a lot to do and only a small amount of time. I worked at a golf course where we offered Dollar Day, one dollar for each hole and one dollar for the cart on the front and one dollar for cart on back,total of twenty dollars. We did it on Wednesday and got 225 players a lot of days,so people had to play at reasonable pace.
  11. TBrown

    TBrown

    I absolutely agree...slow play drives me crazy and I don't do as well.
  12. RJudge

    RJudge

    I always preach "Ready Golf" doesn't matter if you're having a rough round or not, just be ready to hit when it's your turn. I can be spraying the ball all over but still keep pace.

    I have played with some guys that wait for other players to hit before even getting out of the cart. That really gets on my nerves! Be Ready!!

    I'm not trying to rush the round, just think about your shot while waiting for the other guy to hit. It's not that difficult! It can really ruin a round if golf.

    Rob
  13. Rich K

    Rich K
    winston-salem, NC

    I have no idea what causes or how to fix slow play. Several time last week I got behind folks driving 35 in 50 mph zones. They seemed oblivious to the line of cars behind them. I think some people are just slow in everything they do. I have never heard a slow player say they are slow, or even think they are slow. I have even played with a very slow player that told the rest of us that we were behind, and needed to pick up the pace. We all just looked at him in disbelief. I changed my membership to a weekday only to avoid slow play on the weekend.
  14. BMaddigan

    BMaddigan

    The biggest problem with slow play is that nobody thinks they are a slow player. Got behind guys the other day, and they would wait until the other guy hit his shot before starting to get ready for theirs. 3 practise swings later, plus standing over the ball visualizing the shot for 10 seconds, and they finally hit. On the greens was even worse. Hopefully they were playing for lots of money because every 2ft putt took more than 30 seconds. Dechampeau would be proud. 5 hour round, and when one of the guys in my group hollered to them on 16 that there was an empty hole ahead of them, they responded that they were right behind the next group. Brutal. And no marshal to be found, not that they have any real power anyway on a public course. Solution, tee off at 7am, rather than 1pm.
  15. KPaul Eilbracht

    KPaul Eilbracht

    I have found that to be true. When ,y friend and I are playing we usually try to move at a even pace when we have golfers behind us, or if one of us feels nervous we tell them to play ahead its that simple.
  16. Harold H

    Harold H
    Taylor, MI

    I think that slow play is very simple to correct. The pace of play is on ever score card and it about 2 hours to 2hours and 15 min. Per 9 holes if you can not play in that time you should leave the course after 9 holes. Howard H
  17. Ruben C

    Ruben C
    Brownsville, TX

    Harold H said:

    I think that slow play is very simple to correct. The pace of play is on ever score card and it about 2 hours to 2hours and 15 min. Per 9 holes if you can not play in that time you should leave the course after 9 holes. Howard H

    Not necessarily, your time could be as a result of the group in front of you not allowing you to play at the pace. Marshalls need to do their job,
  18. Ruben C

    Ruben C
    Brownsville, TX

    Harold H said:

    I think that slow play is very simple to correct. The pace of play is on ever score card and it about 2 hours to 2hours and 15 min. Per 9 holes if you can not play in that time you should leave the course after 9 holes. Howard H

    I usually play in the afternoon and at times find myself behind some slow players. I will play by myself or with anyone that is there. When I do play alone I play all the way through the hole putt unless its inside the grip I will pick up. I caught up to a twosome and one of them would hit a ball watch the ball till it stopped then reach in his pocket and drop a second ball and hit it. He would drop the second ball numerous times within the hole. Each shot was about 80-90 yds. UGH!!!. I wouldn't mind if they would just let me through. And you guessed it, there was nobody in front of them. There was another time when a twosome were playing bad and hitting multiple shots and taking forever and yep, nobody in front of them. I skipped the hole and went to the next tee box and one of them yelled at me for jumping in front of them. Before I knew it, I was done at 18 and they were 4 or 5 holes behind. LOL
  19. Ruben C

    Ruben C
    Brownsville, TX

    You can at least call the clubhouse.
  20. Rick D

    Rick D
    Weston, WI

    My wife and I played nine Saturday afternoon at one of our "up north" public courses. We teed off at 12:30, much later than we wanted to, because the tee sheet was full. Nine holes in 2:15 isn't slow to a lot of people, but she and I normally play in 1:30-1:40 if not impeded by slow play. For us, it was a very slow round.

    It wasn't a case of one group holding up the course. I swear, every single group I watched were slow! We walked as slow as we could, sat on a bench at every tee box, practiced putting on almost every green [because the foursome behind us didn't catch us until the 8th green].

    We watched people waiting on the tee, even though not one of them could hit it 200 yards, until the group ahead was almost to the green. One person hit a fairway shot, put the club away, got in the cart and the driver then turned sideways and drove 30' to his ball.

    Like BMaddigan said, I'm sure not one person in any of those groups thought they were playing slow.

    #1 and #9 run side by side on this course. In the fairway on #1, in my backswing a ball strikes a tree directly 30' behind me. No "fore!". I flinched and bladed the shot over the green. From the green we watched that same group, still on the #9 tee, with one guy hitting at least 4 tee balls in the woods OB.
  21. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military
    A lot of this slow problem on public courses is because the pro shops are bunching in foursomes and then allowing walk ups creating backups on the course. I will not play a public course after 12 pm even though there are some awesome public courses out there to enjoy. It is even worse when the offer those 300 pm specials. Most public courses do not ask your handicap and they are there for everyone. I play at a public course and am not at all bashful about asking slow players to pick up the pace. Played with two relatively slower players yesterday and we made it in 3 hours and 40 minutes. It was hot, humid and none of us played very well. If someone in the group will take the lead and set the pace, that is always helpful. Good rule of thumb....hit the ball, find the ball, hit the ball, find the ball, hit the ball....think you get the idea....with respect to all....cheers
  22. Phillip B

    Phillip B

    Chuck Z, *I hear what you are saying there but i have found the very best time to play is about4-5pm, The course is usually pretty clear and you can get into a great rhythm out there. I used to hook up with a lot of my buddies at our home course at that time. With nobody out there we could play as a 6 some or even an 8 some as we were all low digit golfers and our large group never effected anybody else's round. It was so much fun to look down the fairway and see 6-8 balls deep and in the middle, then see those same balls surrounding the pin. We had so much fun out there. at the time i was about a 2-3 and i was the high man in the group. A couple of the guys had just finished their time at the pga school and both were working assistance at two of the local courses. WE never could had made these very cool memories for us if we had tried to play in the afternoon. Twighlight is indeed the best time to play.
    Post Image
  23. Phillip B

    Phillip B

    I once played a course out of town that i dont get to play to often, Castle Oaks in Ione California. we were on deck at the time and the started came over speaker and made this announcement which i had never heard before or since but it made its impact on me Immediately.

    Good afternoon players, please remember that the object of the game is to keep up with the group ahead of you, not stay ahead of the group behind you, with this is mine, please have good round out there today and thank you for visiting Castle Oaks golf course.

    This just blew my mind, A simple straight forward comment that in a few short words spoke volumes. I wish all starters would say that at least once an hour to remind the players that when they play slow everybody behind them suffers.
    Post Image
  24. PRO V

    PRO V
    golf course

    Slow play is the cancer of golf. It will ruin the game if it's not remedied. There should be a 30-second rule for hitting a shot, putts included.

    Here's a quick and simple fix:

    People in a group with a slow player can put the slow player on "the clock." Take out their phone or watch the second hand on their watch.

    If the slow player goes over 30 seconds before hitting a shot, the player gets (1) warning. The second and following infractions carry one-stroke penalties.

    Whining, complaining and moaning about slow play will NEVER fix it.

    A rule MUST be implemented. And the best way to implement this rule is to start it on TV during PGA tour events. A 30-second shot clock can be superimposed on the screen once the player gets to their ball.

    Once slow play is penalized on tour, everyone will follow. If it's not, well, then we're right back where we started.
  25. Daniel M

    Daniel M
    Apex, NC

    I play with 6-8 other golfer. We are all over 65 and we walk in under 4 hours. Absolutely no excuse for slow play.
  26. scott e

    scott e
    lakeside, CA

    If the Tour would play ready golf, so long as a player is not in a position to distract, prevent or hinder another player-do it. I’ve always played ready golf, the tour help slow by this simple step.
    Let the caddies use range finders. Take away the greens charts-play the game-99% of the world plays.
  27. Alex

    Alex

    It says on every scorecard "avoid slow play at all times" why is it difficult to understand this?

    Slow players Infront kill my game and it really winds me up.

    I applaud you for taking action. I normally moan after

  28. Keith M

    Keith M

    As one commentator said, slow play is the cancer of golf and needs to be addressed. I assign 4 reasons to this: 1. Our society has become so “me” oriented that there is no self awareness that people are waiting behind you on every shot. 2. The lack of rangers or the pro shop addressing if for fear of offending members. They will talk about car etiquette and keeping carts where they are supposed to be, but won’t address slow play. Our club championship recently took 5-1/2 hours...absurd. 3. We do have some players that feel the need to emulate the pros and since the PGA seems to do very little, for fear of offending some of there stars, amateur weekend hacks see no reason to change their play either. When I first played in Scotland the ranger would come around on a little scooter and ask you to speed up and if you didn’t the second time would ask you to leave the course. 4. The weekend golf studs. They start their BS on the practice tee talking up how great their game is then head to the back tees and jerk their first shot left 50 yards and so it goes for 18 holes. Golf, certainly in a cart, should be played in 4-4:15. During the week our regular group plays in that time. Come the weekend, you can count on 5 hours so I rarely play on weekends anymore.
  29. Jerry M

    Jerry M
    Dallas, TX

    I'm not sure if any of you caught this article back in August but it will be interesting to see how this plays out on the European Tour in 2020. At least they are doing something about it. I would guess the PGA Tour will be monitoring this.


    www.golfdigest.com/.../european-tour-announces-four-point-plan-to-address-slow-play

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. …
  5. Next

Please login to post a comment.

Sign In

Haven't registered for Team Titleist yet?

Sign Up

Find a golf store near me